For abstract motion behind a WordPress hero — colour washes, particles, light — an animated background usually beats a video: there's no multi-megabyte file to download, colours can change any time, and phones can get a lighter version or a still image. Use a video background when you need real footage of a place, product or people.
Side by side
| Animated (WebGL) background | Video background | |
|---|---|---|
| What's downloaded | A small script for the chosen effect | A video file, often several MB |
| Changing colours | Edit a setting | Re-edit, re-export, re-upload |
| Real-world footage | No | Yes |
| Sharpness on large screens | Rendered at screen resolution | Limited by the file's resolution |
| Cost while playing | Uses the GPU | Decoding uses CPU/GPU |
| Phones | Full, lighter, still image or off (Animation Kit) | Often a poster image instead |
| Reduced motion | Still image automatically (Animation Kit) | You need to add a pause and fallback |
| Hosting | Your own site | Your site or a video host |
Speed and Core Web Vitals
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): a background video in the hero can become the largest element and delay LCP. An animated background that loads after the page is interactive lets the headline and button paint first.
- Data usage: autoplaying video on mobile data costs your visitors. A WebGL effect's code is a fraction of that.
- Responsiveness: heavy animation on a weak device can make scrolling feel sluggish. That's why per-device settings matter.
Animation Kit is built for this: the script is only added to pages where a background is enabled, each effect's code is a separate file loaded on demand after DOMContentLoaded, animation pauses when the tab is hidden or the background is off-screen, and reduced-motion, Save-Data and no-WebGL visitors get a still image with no WebGL code downloaded.
When video is still the right call
- Hotels, venues and travel — the place is the selling point.
- Products in use — people want to see the real thing.
- Events and recap reels.
- Brand films where the footage is the message.
If you use video: compress it hard, keep it short and muted, add a poster image, provide a pause control, and consider a still on phones.
When an animated background wins
- SaaS, tech and agency sites that want a modern feel without footage.
- Landing pages where speed matters for conversions.
- Brands that change colours for campaigns or seasons.
- Dark-mode marketing pages where Aurora or Light Pillar adds depth.
Try it
Install Animation Kit — six effects are free — and follow our animated hero section guide. You can see every effect live first. Animation Kit Pro adds 17 more effects and per-page targeting from $14.99 a year.
Compare options in our animated background plugin round-up.